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Everybody loves top ten lists and come December there will be a slew of top ten movies of the year lists. The movie year is now just half over so I thought I'd get a jump on the competition and give my take on the ten best and worst of 2011. These may or may not end up in my overall ten best and worst for the year as the film industry tends to save their "Oscar bait" till November and December. Also we judges often have short memories and tend to have the latest releases on our minds. Choosing the best and the worst proved more difficult this time. This year I found it difficult to limit my selection to only 5 of each best/worst so I went with 10. Last year I selected only films I saw in the theater but I chose to include movies I saw on DVD as well (mostly for the worst selections). So here they are in alphabetical order my choices for the best and worst.

The Best Movies for the first half of 2011

The Adjustment Bureau

Gnomeo & Juliet

Hanna

The Kings Speech

Midnight in Paris

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

Never Let Me Go

Paul

Source Code

Thor

The Worst Movies for the first half of 2011

Fish Tank

Hall Pass

Held Up

Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs Evil

Mean Girls 2

Monsters

The Romantics

Stone

Sucker Punch

Take Me Home Tonight

Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future 'Fate' has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he's ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York. With the strong on scene chemistry provided between Damon and Blunt; both male and female moviegoers will leave the theater knowing that the heart wants what it wants and no seen and unseen forces can destroy that need. The Adjustment Bureau is a well-paced, well-balanced, and artful sci-fi thriller that doesn't feel the need to lob fistfights or car chases at you in order to entertain. It was by far the best movie I watched this weekend, possibly even this year.

The King’s Speech tells the story of the rise to power of King George VI (Colin Firth) against the backdrop of his effort to rid himself of a debilitating stammer. Opening with a devastating speech attempt at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in October of 1925, the film follows then Duke Albert as he begins speech therapy with eccentric Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) through his father King George V’s (Michael Gambon) death, his brother Edward’s (Guy Pearce) ascension to and abdication of the throne to his own coronation and early reign. The King’s Speech is just an excellent movie all around. There is nothing it does poorly and even if the story isn’t the most earth shattering, it doesn’t matter. It is elegant and expertly made and is a joy to watch. The performances are stellar and the writing is superb. There are a lot of things that could of gone wrong but as it turns out, none of them did. Excellent.

Because the gnomes in this film are garden gnomes (think of that roaming travel gnome from the TV commercials) - warring clans of red- and blue-hatted statues inwell-manicured yards behind houses owned by the Montagues and the Capulets (get it?). They are tiny statues that spring to life when no humans are near. There's plenty of action, and it's all wrapped up in a retro soundtrack of Elton John's greatest hits including "Crocodile Rock," "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and "Rocket Man." It turns out that I had a lot of fun watching "Gnomeo and Juliet." As Shakespeare himself might say, all's well that ends well.

The secret at the heart of Never Let Me Go is genuinely distressing, and yet when it finally comes to light, the film remains steadfastly understated. A beautifully crafted meditation on what it means to be human. The disturbing power of the story speaks for itself here thanks to the luscious cinematography, stirring score and wonderful performances. Never Let Me Go is a motion picture that keeps you guessing, shocks you with the awful truth and then tears your emotions apart. However, as sad and bleak as this movie is, its exceptional story is even more spellbinding - especially given the level talent involved. Never Let Me Go is also oddly compelling. A fascinating sense of mystery paired with a character-driven story that is intensified by truly terrific performances by Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightly and Andrew Garfield make for a rewarding cinematic experience - even if it does cause you to feel utterly hopeless.

Like Spielberg’s ET, Paul needs help going home. Like Starman, he’s on the run. There are shadowy government forces out to get him, in the form of Jason Bateman’s super-competent Agent Zoil, Bill Hader & Joe LoTruglio’s super-incompetent Haggard & O’Reilly, and the one behind the scenes pulling all the strings, the Big Guy, who is only heard and not seen until the end of the movie. The tone of Paul is light and breezy, and uncommonly generous in spirit. Even the “bad guys” are played by beloved and/or lovable actors who get great lines. There are a lot of great lines to go around. This is one seriously quotable movie. That’s Pegg & Frost’s forte, and on that front, this is their best work yet. You have to love a movie that so relentlessly goes after creationists, fundamentalists, anti-evolutionists, demagogues, and close minds.

A helicopter pilot recruited for a top-secret military operation finds himself on a startlingly different kind of mission in Source Code, a smart, fast-paced action thriller that challenges our assumptions about time and space. Filled with mind-boggling twists and heart-pounding suspense. Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) awakens on a speeding commuter train with no idea how he got there. Seated across from him is Christina (Michelle Monaghan), a woman he doesn’t know, but who clearly believes she knows him. This little thriller is packed with a nice balance of laughter, poignancy and tenseness…and even romanceto break up the somber tone. I simply enjoyed every minute of it, and I think these types of movies could help revitalize the science fiction world greatly. Source Code is definitely worth while and a must see.

A teenage girl, who is raised by her father to be a cold-hearted assassin, finds herself at sea when she goes out into the world after a life lived in isolation. Hanna is trained from birth in the woods by her spy father to exact revenge on a high level CIA operative. In her early teens Hanna deems herself ready and sets the plan in motion. Hanna is a serious film and it keeps a quick pace. Although the film does not have the large explosions and huge FX action scenes, it’s hand to hand combat is far more intense than its large budget competition. Hanna uses great performances and strong characters instead of expensive effects and it works great. It’s an expertly crafted movie that is interesting and captivating right to the last shot and definitely worth your time.

The story is fairly basic Thor is cast out of Asgard by Odin for breaking the peace between Asgard and Jotunheim. On Earth, he meets and befriends astrophysicists Jane Foster and Erik Selvig. While he struggles with what it means to be a hero of Asgard, his brother Loki ascends to the throne through treachery, eventually threatening all three worlds. Some of Loki’s early antics were done because he could get away with them, but for the main plot-arc Loki has some complex motivation going on. He struggles with his identity and tries to prove himself a worthy son to Odin - and he believes that latter part, even if his actions speak otherwise. He’s a sympathetic villain, and his characterization raises the bar even further. Thor is one of the best comic book screen adaptations to date. It’s worth seeing, and it makes me all the more eager for The Avengers.

This is a romantic comedy set in Paris about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences there that change their lives. It's about a young man's great love for a city, Paris and the illusion people have that a life different from theirs would be much better. Midnight effortlessly captures the charm of Paris, of the 1920s jazz age, of the modern day obsession with wealth and status, and of the exasperating nature of the overachieving prep stud – whose scenes earned some of the film’s biggest laughs. Most of all Woody Allen creates a classic-style romance with just the right balance of fantasy and realism that you can’t help but dive into as you barrack for Gil’s success. One of the most delightful films you’ll see this year!

Ethan is a struggling writer who meets divorced waitress Jesse that inspires him. The two instantly connect. Unfortunately, right after Ethan leaves, Jesse meets Troy, an ad executive who is the typical “Mr. Right”. Jesse lets both relationships develop until ultimately both men ask her to make a big leap in their respective relationships. What’s a girl to do? There’s a twist ending. Of course, I won’t give it away, but it’s important to know, because the film is so frustrating until that point. Characters don’t always make decisions that make sense, you don’t know who the protagonist really is, and you fall in and out of love with Milano constantly. However, the ending makes it all worth it. Another movie that starts slow and builds to an unbelievable ending. You will have to pay attention at the end…very carefully, then you will go “AH…..cool”.

Fish Tank is the story of Mia, a volatile 15-year-old, who is always in trouble and who has become excluded from school and ostracised by her friends. One hot summer’s day her mother brings home a mysterious stranger called Connor who promises to change everything and bring love into all their lives. Watching a movie like Fish Tank presents a challenge because as a critic you have to separate your feelings from a well-made film. Often times they are one in the same, but in this case it was well-made, but one I didn’t particular enjoy. More British miserabilism which no sane moviegoer would pay to watch. overall it's a disjointed, inconsequential script which meanders along without any attempt at social or psychological analysis. Events happen that don't reveal much about anyone or anything. Dreary and unoriginal, like hundreds of its sub-Ken Loach predecessors, this is how Billy Elliott might have turned out had it been made by a collective of depressive Essex girls.

Rick and Fred are seemingly happy, married suburban BFFs. When their wives get tired of their foolish man-boy antics, they grant their men a one-week, no-strings-attached, hall pass from marriage. Because this is somehow supposed to strengthen their relationship. Sound stupid? It is. "Hall Pass" is perfectly acceptable. Sudeikis plays a routine zany, but Wilson gets to let out his latent sweetness; Fischer is thoroughly appealing, and Applegate is a first-rate comedian too often found in third-rate movies, so second-rate is an improvement. Let's hope this isn't the Farrellys' statement about the institution of marriage, because if marriage were really this pathetic, why should anyone bother? 2 stars for they early hilarity but the rest of Hall Pass just gets a pass.

Ray is a bored bank teller who hates everything about his life. Everything changes when not 1 but 2 groups of bank robbers bust through the door. Suddenly, Ray's worst day has become his best day ever. A few funny lines are this movie's only saving grace. This was poorly filmed, poorly scripted, and definately not suited for the big screen. Looks like an old "made for tv" movie that wouldn't even get a re-run on comedy central. I usually like the corny stuff. This isn't corny, it's just BAD. And not bad in a good way. I don't ever know if I've ever seen anything so utterly stupid. Makes the worst movie you've ever seen look like Shakespeare. literally an hour and a half of corny sarcastic jokes with lots of foul language and sexual inuendo. not appropriate to watch with children in the house. no action.

In Hoodwinked Too, Hood Vs. Evil, an unfunny and unnecessary sequel, girls in the Hood try to recover a recipe for a magical truffle. This trite trifle is like a bad cake—flat and way past its "best by" date. Red saves Hansel and Gretel from the clutches of Verushka the Witch. But the two tubby tots are actually in cahoots with Verushka. Together they kidnap Granny and force her to bake a top-secret dessert that empowers the consumer with superhuman abilities. Red teams up with the Big Bad Wolf to thwart this diabolical culinary plan before the villains can obtain the recipe's mystery ingredient.This new Hoodwinked feels much like so many other unmemorable movies that pass through theaters. And that is truly disappointing considering their previous outing was so original and enjoyable.

Like Gretchen Weiners and her attempts at making British slang popular stateside, we should all just stop trying to replicate the genius of "Mean Girls," because let’s face it: it's never going to happen. Unlike the naturally pretty, cool, funny girl at school, "Mean Girls 2" is the slightly pathetic social climber who is wearing the flashiest new accessory in hopes of being seen by the popular clique and pulled out from the dregs of the cafeteria. Maybe it’s unfair to compare this to the original, which set the bar for satirical takes on teenage life, as well as genuine comedy, but if you're bold enough to market yourself as "Mean Girls," you best come prepared. And unlike Regina George, we’ll tell it to you straight: that was one of the ugliest effing sequels we’ve ever seen.

A weary photojournalist is charged with transporting his boss's daughter across "the infected zone" - a vast chunk of the US/Mexico border that inhabits extraterrestrial creatures brought back from a destroyed space probe six year ago. During their journey, they'll learn more about the aliens, Mexico, Mexicans... and of course, each other. Monsters reportedly cost around $5,000 (give or take) to produce and certainly impresses in a major way on that level. The trouble is, that's practically the only level it impresses on. For all the hype comparing it to District 9, is really more about these tiresome indie troupes we've come to know and - in my case - detest. Now, it indeed has the advantage of being set against an unusual backdrop for this kind of movie, and the threat of otherworldly violence makes things slightly more involving, but for the most part, it's just another low-budget romance. The dialogue is bland and familiar, and the approach so down-to-Earth/slice-of-life that Monsters is frequently tedious.

Over the course of one raucous night at a seaside wedding seven close friends, all members of a tight, eclectic college clique, reconvene to watch two of their own tie the knot. Laura is maid of honor to Lila, her golden girl best friend. The two have long rivaled over the groom, Tom. Friendships and alliances are tested and the love triangle comes to a head the night before the wedding, when the drunken friends frolic in the nearby surf and return to shore... without the groom. The young, attractive actors in The Romantics acquit themselves in spite of the fact that they’re playing variably repellent characters. The movie is basically just extremely boring. All the drama seems forced, situations are predictable, and they are clearly trying too hard to make any of this meaningful. Also just to top it all off the movie basically has a non-ending. Overall this is a film that tries way too hard and fails at accomplishing anything. I’d avoid it. The questionable conclusion might not satisfy your need for a definitive finale, but the film doesn't give you much to be satisfied with in the first place.

Stone, a grey, quiet, drab movie about the parole officer’s darkness and the arsonist’s cunning. The results prove disappointing, simultaneously over the top and underwhelming. That’s too bad because until that detour “Stone” keeps you watching, engaged and guessing. You can understand why the filmmakers didn’t want to make just another genre movie in which everything falls neatly into place. They want to mess with our heads, but intelligently. The paradox is that what they try to subvert in “Stone” — namely, your viewing habits — are intrinsic to your enjoyment of the movie. They summon up past pulp delights with a couple of baddies and a dame with snake hips and eyes, only to toss them out in exchange for an ending that is unpredictable yet also flat. They end up subverting expectations by denying pleasure.

Baby Doll is sent to this gothic hilltop asylum, where she shares a ward with inmates named Sweet Pea, Rocket, Blondie and Amber. Oscar Isaac is Blue, Lennox House's sinister overseer. Sucker Punch toggles back and forth, to and fro, between alternating mindscapes, as Baby Doll and her team embark on an epic scavenger hunt. They need to find a map, then fire, then a knife and then a key. "The fifth thing is a mystery" intones Scott Glenn, playing a kind of Zen master who seems to have boned up on his riddle-me-this delivery by watching episodes of David Carradine's 'Kung Fu'. "Begin your journey" he tells Baby Doll. "It will set you free." Exit the theater. It will set you freer. Or better yet - don't go in in the first place.

A nostalgic homage to the romantic-comedy romps of the 1980s, "Take Me Home Tonight" cycles through all the conventions of the genre without breathing any new life into them, or offering characters who are developed well enough to make us care about them. There's the wild, all-night party that brings together people from varying social strata, the nerdy guy who finally gets the girl of his dreams, the pretty, popular girl who's tired of being pretty and popular. It wallows in the period kitsch, complete with one-hit wonders like "Safety Dance" and "Come On Eileen". With the standard 'nerd gets the gorgeous girl who never noticed him through one manic wild crazy night', Take Me Home is really just aso-so movie in the vain of "Can't Hardly Wait" and "I Love You Beth Cooper". It isn't a terrible movie just a waste of your time.